Cemetery vase



G. W'. HAGLE CEMETERY VASE Filed Jan. 23, 1940 Juy 16, 1940.

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Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

' object to provide an improved ground or cemetery vase, having a xed portion and a removable portion which telescopes thereinto, in which a novel means is employed for supporting the rew movable portion in upright position, which means also functions as a holder or securing means for the said removable portion when the latter is re-inserted in the fixedportion in inverted position whereby the inserted removable portion will be securely held in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a ground or cemetery vase including a fixed portion and a removable portion, a novel spring supporting means forming a part of the fixed portion for holding the removable portion'in upright or operative position and for yieldingly checking the downward movement of the removable portion as it is inserted in the' fixed portion to prevent damage to the said removable portion, such spring supporting means further acting as a yieldable securing element which engages within the mouth of the removable portion when the latter is placed 'in the fixed portion in inverted position.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a ground or cemetery vase structure of the chart acter stated, a removable portion having an outwardly expanded encircling wall area which functions to prevent debris entering the xed ground portion when the removable portion is in upright operative position and which cooperates with the spring supporting means for the removable portion to eiiect the latching of the latter portion in the ground portion thereby preventing the removable portion from being raised by a rapid accumulation of water in the xed portion of the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a cemetery ground vase, a novel end wall structure and handle associated with the end wall, for the removable portion of the vase whereby such handle will be protected against damage when the said removable portion is dropped into the fixed ground portion onto the spring supporting means within the fixed portion.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specication, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal section through the vase structure embodying the present invention showing the removable portion in upright position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the removable portion in 10- inverted position and latched inthe xed portion;

Referring now more specically to the-drawing, the numeral I generally designates the iixed`portion of the vase structure while the removable portion is indicated generally by the numeral 2. 15 Both of these portions are of cylindrical form and are formed of a sheet metal of suitable weight and character to resist rusting or corrosion when left in the ground. 'I'he fixed outer portion I of the vase comprises the cylindrical wall 3 which is 2o. rolled outwardly at its upper end to form a reinforcing bead 4 while at its lower end it is provided with the narrow inturned ange 5. Disposed within the lower part of the xed portion I is a supporting unit indicated generally by the numeral 6 and comprising a substantially triangular frame of resilient metal having a horizontal top portion l and the downwardly converging legs 8 and 9 extending from the ends of the horizontal portion 'I as shown, the leg 9 being free while the 30v leg 8 continues downwardly at substantially the central part of the cylinder to join the lateral arm I0 which extends horizontally to the Side of the cylinder where it is riveted or otherwise suitably secured to the cylinder wall, as indicated at 35 l I The end of the leg 9 which is joined with the horizontal bar 'I is shaped to form the rounded knee I2 which is disposed either against or in close proximity to the inner surface of the cylinder wall 3, but by reason of the resilient character of the 4G frame, this knee may be forced away from thc wall to permit another element to move into position between the wall and the knee in the manner hereinafter stated.

To the top of the resilient frame portion 1 4 there is secured a disk I3 of resilient metal which is dished whereby the remote edge portions thereof are raised from the portion 'l of the frame to serve as an auxiliary .spring support for the removable portion 2. The removable portion 2 of 50 the vase is also formed of a cylindrical body I6, which is open at one end and rolled to form the reinforced mouth iiange or bead I5. At the opposite end or bottom of the portion 2 is a metal wall IS which is set inwardly from the adjacent end of i the cylinder I4 and is provided with the integral iiange I1 which extends to the end of the cylinder and engages the inner side of the cylinder wall, this ilange merging with an outwardly extending reverted flange I8 which grips the surrounding ange I9 which forms an integral part of the cylinder I4, thus securely locking the cylinder wall I 4 and the end wall I6 together to form a water-tight joint and locating the end wall inwardly of the plane of the adjacent end of the cylinder.

The central portion of the end wall I6 has the circular depression therein which forms a nger recess and extending across this recess in the plane of the wall IB is a nger bar 2I which facilitates lifting the removable portion 2 when the same is in inverted position within the outer portion, as shown in Fig. 2.

Adjacent the outer end of the removable portion 2, the wall I4 is provided with the encircling outward bulge 22, the exterior diameter of which is only slightly less than the interior diameter of the iixed cylindrical portion I, and the formation of this bulge provides within the removable portion 2 the annular recess 23.

The bulge 22 is spaced from the inner or bottom end of the removable portion 2 such a distance that when the bottom of the removable portion is resting upon the disk I3 and the revmovable portion is supported by the removable frame 6, it will just enter the mouth of the xed portion I and thus completely close the same, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and the knee portion of the resilient supporting frame 5 is so spaced with respect to the bottom of the fixed portion that when the removable portion 2 is inverted and forced downwardly into the xed portion so that the open edge of the removable portion will slip past the knee I2, the removable portion when brought to rest upon the base or bottom ilange 5 will have the knee I2 of the resilient support engaged in the annular recess 23. Thus the recess and knee cooperate to form a latching or securing means by which the removable portion of the vase will be held in position and thus prevented from being raised or iloated in the event of a heavy or sudden fall of rain filling the outer portion of the device with water.

It will also be noted that the overall diameter of the interlocked anges I8--I9 in the bottom of the removable portion is substantially equal to the interior diameter of the fixed portion so that when the removable portion is in upright position as shown in Fig. 2, this flange will cooperate with the bulge 22 to hold the portion 2 against movement or wobbling and when the portion 2 is in inverted position as shown in Fig. 2, the ange will engage the wall 3 so as to close the upper end of the fixed portion and prevent the entrance of dirt thereinto.

The overall length of the removable portion 2 is also slightly less than that of the fixed portion so that when the portion 2 is in inverted position, its bottom and the flanged edge thereof will be slightly below the plane of the mouth of the portion I and, therefore, will not be damaged by the running of grass cutting machines or other apparatus over the vase.

While there has been shown and described a dished resilient disk I3 secured to the horizontal top portion 'I of the resilient frame, it is to be understood that this disk may be discarded if desired, so that the removable inner portion will be supported directly upon the horizontal bar 'I of the resilient frame.

What is claimed is:

1. A cemetery vase of the character stated, comprising a ground engaging outer portion and aremovable inner portion, said inner portion having an end wall closing the same and having its opposite end open, a supporting unit within one end of the outer portion upon which said end wall is adapted to rest to maintain the inner portion in upright position, said inner portion being adapted to be inverted and inserted with its open end downwardly into the outer portion and over said supporting unit, the said supporting unit entering the open end of the inverted portion and engaging and resiliently securing the same in the outer portion.

2. A cemetery vase, comprising inner and outer separable cylindrical bodies, a resilient support disposed within the outer body adjacent one end and secured to the outer body, the inner body having one end closed by a wall and having its other end open, the resilient support being designed to engage said end wall to maintain the inner body in upright position in and projecting at its upper end from the end of the outer body remote from said support, said inner body when inverted and inserted into the outer body receiving the resilient support in its open end, the resilient support including a part resiliently held in close proximity to the inner surface of the wall of the outer body between which part and the said Wall of the outer body the wall of the inserted inner body of the inverted inner body slidably extends to be frictionally held by said part of the support.

3. A cemetery vase, comprising inner and outer separable cylindrical bodies, a resilient support disposed within the outer body adjacent one end and secured to the outer body, the inner body having one end closed by a wall and having its other end open, the resilient support being designed to engage said end wall to maintain the inner body in upright position in and projecting at its upper end from the end of the outer body remote from said support, said inner body when inverted and inserted into the outer body receiving the resilient support in its open end, the resilient support including a part resiliently held in close proximity to the inner surface of the Wall of the outer body between which part and the said wall of the outer body the wall of the inserted inner body of the inverted inner body slidably extends to be frictionally held by said part of the support, the wall of said inner body having a recess upon its inner side into which the said part of the resilient support engages.

4. A cemetery vase, comprising inner and outer separable cylindrical bodies, a resilient support disposed within the outer body adjacent one end and secured to the outer body, the inner body having one end closed by a wall and having its other end open, the resilient support being designed to engage said end wall to maintain the inner body in upright position in and projeeting at its upper end from the end oi the outer body remote from said support, said inner body when inverted and inserted into the outer body receiving the resilient support in its open end, the resilient support including a part resiliently held in close proximity to the inner surface of the wall of the outer body between which part and the said wall of the outer body the wall of theinserted inner body of the inverted inner body slidably extends to be frictionally held by said part of the support, the wall of said inner body being provided with a surrounding outward bulge having an exterior diameter substantially equaling the interior diameter of the outer body and arranged to close the said remote end of the outer body when the inner body is uprightly carried by the support, the said bulge forming an annular recess upon the interior of the inner body in which the said outer part of the resilient support frictionally engages.

5. A cemetery vase, comprising an outer cylinder open at both ends and having an inwardly projecting flange at its lower end, a resilient frame supported within the outer cylinder adjacent said lower end and including a knee portion disposed adjacent the inner wall of the cylinder, an inner cylinder adapted for longitudinal extension into the outer cylinder through the outer end thereof, the inner cylinder being closed by a bottom wall, said inner cylinder having an outpressed annular bulge in the wall thereof remote from said end wall and having a diameter and being spaced from the end wall to position in and close the outer end of the outer cylinder when the endrwall is resting upon said resilient support, the inner cylinder being insertible into the outer cylinder in inverted position and receiving said support when so inverted, the wall of the inner cylinder when inverted being frictionally engaged between said knee and the wall of the outer cylinder in the circular area defined by said bulge. A

6. A cemetery vase comprising an outer cylinder open at both ends and having an inwardly projecting flange at its lower end, a resilient frame supported within the outer cylinder adjacent said lower end and'including a knee portion disposed adjacent the inner wall of the cylinder, an inner cylinder adapted for longitudinal extension into the outer cylinder through the outer end thereof, the inner cylinder being closed by a bottom wall, said inner cylinder having an outpressed annular bulge in the wall thereof remote from said end wall and having a diameter and being spaced from the end wall to position in and close the outer end of the outer cylinder when the end wall is resting upon said resilient support, the inner cylinder being insertible into the outer cylinder iny inverted position and receiving said support when so inverted, the wall of the inner cylinder when inverted being frictionally engaged between said knee and the wall of the outer cylinder in the circular area deiined by said bulge, the said end wall of the inner cylinder being joined with the wall of the inner cylinder by an outwardly projecting flange having a diameter substantially equaling the interior diameter of the outer cylinder whereby to close the outer end of the outer cylinder when the inner cylinder is in the said inverted position, the inner cylinder being of slightly less overall length than the outer cylinder.

7. A cemetery vase, comprising an outer cylinder open at both ends and having an inwardly extending flange at its bottom end, an inner cylinder insertible into the outer cylinder and having a wall closing its inner end, a substantially triangular resilient frame disposed within the lower portion of the outer cylinder and having ahorizontal bar and two downwardly converging legs extending from the bar, one of said legs being joined with the bar to form a rounded knee disposed in close proximity to the wall of the outer cylinder, the other of said legs being integrally connected with the wall of the outer cylinder, the inner cylinder when in upright position having its bottom resting upon the bar of said frame with its upper end projecting above the outer cylinder, the wall ofthe inner cylinder having an outpressed bulge adjacent its outer end, said bulge being arranged to close the outer end'of the outer cylinder when the inner cylinder is in said upright position, the inner cylinder when inverted in the outer cylinder receiving said frame and having its wall slidably disposed betwen said knee and the wall of the outer cylinder to be frictionally held thereby and said knee engaging the wall of the inner cylinder in the recess formed by said outpressed bulge.

8. A cemetery vase, comprising an outer cylinder open at both ends and having an inwardly extending flange at its bottom end, an inner cylinder insertible into the outer cylinder and having a wall closing its inner end, a substantially triangular resilient frame disposed within the lower portion of the outer cylinder and having a horizontal bar and two downwardly converging legs extending from the bar, one of said legs being joined with the bar to form a rounded knee disposed in close proximity to the wall of the outer cylinder, the other of said legs being integrally connected with the wall of the outer cylinder, the inner cylinder when in upright position having its bottom resting upon the bar of said frame with its upper end projecting above the outer cylinder, the wall of the inner cylinder having an outpressed bulge adjacent its outer end, said bulge being arranged to close the outer end of the outer cylinder when the inner cylinder is in said upright position, the inner cylinder when inverted in the outer cylinder receiving said frame and having its wall AslidablyV disposed between said knee and the wall of the outer cylinder to be frictionally held thereby and said knee engaging the wall of the inner cylinder in the recess formed by said outpressed bulge, and a resilient disk of dished form secured to the top of the bar of said frame forV 

